I think ratatouille is such a great addition to a meal. Although, tonight I am using the ratatouille as a filling to Crepes. Check out tomorrow how I plan to use the leftover ratatouille as an appetizer inspired by my recent trip to San Sebastian.

In a large pot, (I used my Le Creuset dutch oven). With 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil a 1/4 of the chopped garlic, 3 tablespoons of water sauté the onions until cooked for 5-10 minutes. Remove the onions from the dutch oven and add the eggplant and zucchini with 1/4 of the garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Remove eggplant and zucchini from pan. Now add with 1 tablespoon and 1/4 of the garlic the peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Finally add remaining ingredients and the zucchini, eggplant, onions back into the dutch oven. Mix with a spoon until all well combines and let cook with a lid on low heat for 30 minutes. Ready to serve.

This goes great inside crepes, or as a side to really any meat or fish dish, and honestly I just like to eat it on its own. Tomorrow as I mentioned I will show you something to do with the leftover inspired by my recent travels to San Sebastian.

Barley is something I recently, have started cooking a lot with. It is a healthy alternative to add a carb to your meal. Since it was a trainer coming over for dinner, who pre-holidays put me on a no potato carb free diet, I couldn’t make potatoes to go with the roasted fish as I would have liked. But sometimes having limitations actually provides for more creativity! This salad is loaded with different flavors and lots of color. So as my Nanna would say “If it is colorful then it is healthy.” I made it one day in advance and added the cheese before serving.

Place the Eggplant, Zucchini, Broccoli and Carrots on a baking sheets, toss with Olive Oil then Salt and Pepper. Roast of 10 minutes and remove and toss veggies followed by another 10 minutes of roasting. Let cool and place in large salad bowl/ desired serving dish.

In a Sauce pan heat olive oil with scallions and spices- Cayenne, Coriander, and Cumin. Saute for 3-4 minutes and add Barley. Cook for 2 minutes mixing well and add the chicken broth. Cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and remove from heat. Add Barley to the serving dish with the roasted Veggies.

Once cooled add the fresh ingredients.

In a small bowl mix together all of the dressing ingredients and mix together till combined. Toss over the salad.